Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino is the artistic director of the new issue of Vanity Fair Italia, now on newsstands. Through his vision, the magazine becomes a screenplay, a film in which a star-studded cast of actors, artists and celebrities are enlisted as writers. The project is inspired by The Great Beauty, the masterpiece that won the director an Academy Award in 2014, and it plays out as a brand new multi-media enterprise between film and publishing.

The cover of the magazine features a flock of pink flamingos photographed at night on the Spanish Steps in Rome by Alex Majoli and Paolo Sorrentino. An iconic and surreal vision announces “Phase 4”, a dreamlike yet momentous moment to stop and think about the post-lockdown future and the first tentative steps towards recovery. Each contributor is invited to imagine their own “Phase 4”. For Sorrentino, this phase coincides with the legendary Great Beauty of Italy, a treasure and an opportunity, an ocean of excellence to be contemplated and fished for any potential for rebirth. For the reader, it is a call to commitment and imagination: anyone can send in their vision of the future using the hashtag #phase4 with a photograph to illustrate their dreams for tomorrow.

The issue also features a series of videos that showcase Sorrentino’s extensive work, all filmed in the Eternal City during the lockdown. The city of Rome granted exclusive access to some of its greatest cultural highlights for reportage and artistic performances, which are documented in the magazine and the videos. These include the Galleria Borghese and the Teatro dell’Opera.

Featured in the issue are written contributions from leading international stars, who describe personal experiences, suggestions and memories linked to Italian beauty: Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Willem Dafoe, Christoph Waltz, Jude Law, Wes Anderson, Jane Fonda, John Malkovich, Rachel Weisz and Woody Harrelson.

Italian fashion also plays an important role - designer Alessandro Michele is featured in conversation with rapper Achille Lauro, discussing the power of beauty in today’s culture.

Contemporary art is represented by Marina Abramović, who created an exclusive piece in response to Sorrentino’s invitation.

Finally, Isabella Rossellini joins the magazine’s star-studded cast with a story about her own beauty. Rossellini tells memories of her parents Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, talks about her success as a worldwide icon of beauty on the big screen and about her new role as activist, proponent and emblem of a new inclusive, feminist aesthetic.